OPEN STUDIOS
Open Studios Northamptonshire, the largest visual arts event in and around the county, is now in its 16th year. Artists are inviting visitors into their working studios or setting up exhibitions around the county and across the borders from Saturday 8th through Sunday 23rd September to witness the inspiration and motivation that drives them to create. Step inside a pottery, discuss carving or watch demonstrations; the free full colour brochure will show you the huge range of activities featured.

This year, Opens Studios are delighted to welcome some new, innovative studio groups that have opened their doors for the fi rst time, including Burns Street Studios in Northampton and The Studio at Wicksteed Park in Kettering. There are several cluster exhibitions taking place in our villages: Maxine Dodd, Sheila Manwaring, Janet Alderson-Smith and Barbara Hatton are exhibiting at The Cottage Studio in Clipston; Judy Taylor, Michael Harrison, Jamie Poole, Susan Phillips at Studio 19 in Thorpe Malsor; John Noobs, Catherine Staveley, Elaine Warden, Brian Stainton and Conny Bailey in Gibb Wood Studio in Walgrave. First-time exhibitor Joy Barry will be showing her paintings at The Old Forge in Cranford.

Unfortunately, the Central Exhibition scheduled at The Yarrow Gallery in Oundle has had to be cancelled due to the discovery of dry rot. The Dolby Gallery in Oundle has kindly agreed to organise and alternative exhibition to display for the public on 15th and 16th September. For full details, please pick up a brochure or visit the website at  www.openstudios.org.uk to get the latest information.

MUSIC IN QUIET PLACES
The four autumn MIQP concerts scheduled for September and October will bring artists of international acclaim to some Northamptonshire’s stunning village settings.

Friday 14th September, 8pm Nassington - St Mary the Virgin & All Saints Church

Rising young musician Toby Kearney will present an extraordinarily varied programme using a huge array of percussion instruments from around the world. From the music of Debussy to his own compositions and from beautiful lyrical melodies to pounding electronic rhythms,
Toby will take you through the many soundworlds that can be found in the rich realm of modern percussion.

Friday 21st September, 8pm Polebrook - All Saints Church
The Harborough Collective, formed in 2010 by David Le Page, draws on the talents of this country’s most outstanding musicians. For this performance they are joined by the exceptional bass-baritone and cellist Matthew Sharp. This performance will showcase Matthew’s astonishing versatility as both singer and instrumentalist in a programme which include works by Wagner, Bernstein, Debussy, Schubert and Mahler.

Friday 5th October, 8pm Thurning - Church of St James the Great
Craig Ogden has proved his place as one of the world’s fi nest classical guitarists. Whilst continuing to be the concerto soloist of choice for international orchestras, playing in the world’s best concert halls, Craig loves playing solo guitar in intimate venues and churches which allow the instrument’s natural sound to be heard well. His interaction with the audience, relaxed style and communicative charm guarantee audience enjoyment.

Craig’s programme will include well-loved Spanish classics, beautifully arranged fi lm music and popular songs, and exquisite compositions from contemporary composers, with the occasional nod to his Australian origins.

Saturday 13th October, 7.30pm Fotheringhay - Church of St Mary & All Saints
The fi nal concert of the series will be given by the internationally-renowned Orlando Consort, in the atmospheric setting and superb acoustic of St Mary & All Saints Church. Around 1275, when inspiring intellectuals from all over Europe where converging on Paris, the major centre of creative activity at the time, an English monk travelled from the Benedictine Abbey of Bury St Edmunds to Paris. Known as ‘Anonymous IV’, he has earned a special place in history as the main source of information on the extraordinary music of the Cathedral of Notre Dame.

Tickets for any of the concerts are £13, £11 conc., under 21s £5. Book for three different concerts or more and receive a 10% discount on your ticket price if purchased at the same time. To request a full brochure or to book, please contact the Oundle International Box Offi ce on 01832 274734 or online at www.oundlefestival.org.uk

STAHL THEATRE PERFORMANCES
The Stahl Theatre in Oundle launches its new season with a variety of plays.

Friday 7th September, 7.45pm
John Standing Swings Cole Porter John Standing is one of our best known actors and in this new show he sings 15 of Cole Porter’s greatest songs including You Do Something to Me, I Get a Kick Out of You, You’re the Top and Night and Day and tells stories of a life in the theatre and movies. John has starred on Broadway and in the West End and played cabaret at the Café Carlyle in New York and at the National Theatre and Wilton’s Music Hall in London. In January he enjoyed a sell out season with this Cole Porter show at The Pheasantry in Chelsea. Tickets £12.

Thursday 13th September, 7.45 pm
Titanic sinks Titswilly An epic story. A classic tale of love, life and loss on board the world famous doomed cruise liner will fi nally be brought to the stage; well, the back of Titswilly Village Hall. Patchwork’s latest offering is a fast paced farce in the vein of ‘One Man, Two Guv’nors’ and ‘Noises Off’, with this exciting young company’s trademark
blend of physical theatre and absurdism.

When a successful theatre director moves to the rural village of Titswilly, she is looking forward to hanging up her script notes in favour of the quiet life. However, the local dramatic society, in rehearsals for their production of ‘Titanic’ has other ideas... This hilarious new play takes a sneak peek at the run up to the opening night of the Titswilly Players most ambitious production yet. Inspired by their own adventures in village life, Patchwork explore what happens when city collides with country in their latest original comic caper, sure to be a hit with audiences
looking for a light hearted evening of comedy theatre. Tickets £8, conc. £6.

Tuesday 18th September, 7.45 pm
Dangerous Liaisons
Welcome newcomers to The Stahl present an original adaptation of Choderlos de Laclos’ famous novel, dripping with dry wit and shrewd observations which are still shockingly familiar over two hundred years on. Human pawns play out mind games with ever-higher stakes on a giant chessboard, while Laclos himself acts as puppet-master. This is a world where the best strategist wins all. Extraordinarily modern characters battle with love, lust, pride, loyalty and revenge in a game which has only two possible outcomes: conquer or
perish. Tickets £9.50.

Tuesday 9th - Thursday 11th October, 7.45pm
Find Me
In November 1975, at the age of twenty, Verity Taylor was charged by the Police with damaging a chair by fi re... In February 1976 she was admitted to Broadmoor, from where she may not be discharged or transferred without the permission of the Home Secretary.

Girls from Oundle School’s Sixth Form play a range of different roles and explore in depth the personality of the young girl, to “fi nd her” in a play which studies the effect of her behaviour on the family, the friends and the offi cials in whose care she is periodically placed. Through this shocking, funny and moving play we begin to get a sense of how this was (and potentially still is) able to happen. Find Me is based on a true story and directed by Matt Burlington. Tickets £5.

Tickets to all of the above performances are available from The Stahl Theatre, West Street, Oundle on 01832 273930 or visit www.stahltheatre.co.uk

Gordon Stainforth Fiva: An Adventure That Went Wrong is the epic true account from Gordon Stainforth of a neardeath experience on a mountain in Norway in 1969. That summer, as Apollo 11 was blasting off to the moon, two teenage twin brothers with only three years’ mountaineering experience, set off to climb one of the highest rock faces in Europe. With just two bars of chocolate, some sandwiches, a foursentence route description and an old sketch map, they left their tent early one morning with the full expectation of being back in time for tea. Within a few hours things had gone badly wrong, they were looking death in the face, and the English Home Counties seemed very far away...

Alternatively humorous and nerve shredding, Fiva captures the hope, love, terror and despair of climbing. Gordon Stainforth will re-tell his story, which has been likened to Joe Simpson’s best-selling Touching the Void at Queen Victoria Hall, West Street in Oundle
on Saturday 6th October at 7.30pm. Tickets £7 are available from 3rd September from the Festival Box Offi ce on 01832 274734 or online at www.oundlefestival.org.uk

MACBETH AT LYVEDEN
The Lord Chamberlain’s Men will perform their all male production of Shakespeare’s devastating and gripping thriller Macbeth on Saturday 8th September at 6pm against the backdrop of Lyveden New Bield, near Oundle. Join the players on their journey from Cawdor Castle to Glamis Castle, bring along a picnic, sit back and relax… but beware witches, traitors and murderers! When the triumphant soldier Macbeth discovers he’s destined to be the next King of Scotland, he and Lady Macbeth decide to risk everything in a desperate attempt to gain the throne. Macbeth’s violent dream of power becomes a paranoid nightmare.

At only two hours Macbeth is one of Shakespeare’s shortest texts, but it contains some of his most famous lines, such as “Out damned spot - out I say”, “Double, double, toil and trouble” and “Is this a dagger I see before me?” Macbeth’s ghostly apparitions, action-packed sword fi ghts and bloodsoaked conclusion are sure to get the heart racing! Tickets £14.50 available from 01832 205358.

STORYTELLING AT KELMARSH
An evening of storytelling for adults to enjoy will take place on Thursday 13th September at 7.30pm when internationally acclaimed storyteller, singer and musician Nick Hennessey brings his exciting style of performance to Kelmarsh Hall for the fi rst time. Featuring stories from the British Isles and beyond, Nick combines the spoken word with song and harp playing to deliver an evening with a difference. The evening will also include a Spanish supper of paella, tapas, sangria and dessert.

Tickets £15, or £10 for just the supper, are available from 01604 686543 or by emailing
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. For more details visit www.kelmarsh.com

SCULPTURE WITH A VIEW
British Art Portfolio are pleased to announce their inaugural exhibition of sculpture in the garden and gallery of Guilsborough Court, Guilsborough, NN6 8QW, from Thursday 20th through Sunday 30th September. Contemporary sculptors have been selected from all over the country, as well as new graduates from Birmingham School of Art and Northampton School of Art and Design.

Visitors will be able to wander around the gardens and in the Gallery at Guilsborough Court admiring the sculptures as well as the magnifi cent views over Hollowell Reservoir. Admission will be £2.00 per head (children free) in aid of Guilsborough Playing Fields
Association. Opening times are Monday - Saturday, 11am - 6pm.

British Art Portfolio was launched in 2011 by Amanda Lowther and Louise Newton following the successful completion by both of degrees in History of Art at University of Leicester as mature students. British Art Portfolio specialises in Modern British (20th Century) and Contemporary Art. Based at their gallery at Guilsborough Court, they travel around the country exhibiting in private houses and galleries.

The Guilsborough Playing Fields are a cause very close to the hearts of the Lowther family.
The late Sir John Lowther was President for many years and his son and owner of Guilsborough Court, Hugh Lowther, is a Trustee.

All works will be for sale and a printed catalogue is available upon request from This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and a digital version is available on www.britishartportfolio.co.uk

Art in Autumn

Art in Autumn

Art in Autumn

Art in Autumn

Art in Autumn

Art in Autumn

Art in Autumn

Art in Autumn

Art in Autumn

Art in Autumn

Art in Autumn

Art in Autumn